Sophie Cunningham Addresses Caitlin Clark’s Iowa Showcase after Cathy Engelbert Ties It to WNBA Expansion

It is always nostalgic to go back to the base. That’s how many fans turned up to watch the Indiana Fever vs Brazil game held at the Carver-Hawkeye Arena. If you looked around, all you’d see was a sea of yellow and glimpses of number 22. Every Caitlin Clark three led to screams, cheers, and an epiphany for the WNBA. But, a point to note, Iowa is a neutral venue, and no team has an established fanbase there. However, with the turnout and the reception, this pre-season game got Cathy Engelbert thinking of some new ideas.

Indiana Fever guard Sophie Cunningham had an interesting perspective about this on her podcast ‘Show Me Something’, alongside co-host West Wilson.“I know you did the thing in Iowa, and that was actually so random.” Wilson said, bringing up the exhibition game. Sophie added to it, “That’s like pre-season. It was random, but it made sense because you’re still gonna bring a crowd. But the W doesn’t do neutral sites.” And it’s true! Cathy Engelbert’s league rarely uses neutral locations for WNBA games in today’s day and age, and there’s a reason.

Without headliner athletes like Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, or Paige Bueckers, neutral venues fail to sell out. For a league like the W, which is just starting to see some money over the last couple of years, ticket sales matter a lot. However, Cunningham was quick to point out that Cathy Engelbert’s plans are beginning to change. “It’s becoming more of a thing.” She said to Wilson. “They did for Angel Reese at LSU. I think they’ll continue to do it because honestly if there’s [a] WNBA team that’s not close by to the universities, it’s gonna draw fans.” We saw it in Iowa, we saw it in Louisiana, and if the Dallas Wings play in Connecticut, we’ll probably see it there too, and it makes even more sense because most WNBA stars were collegiate legends first.

What the Fever star is saying and the WNBA boss is trying, do makes sense. When Clark returned to Iowa this May, the average ticket price was $440, excluding fees on the secondary market, making it the most expensive ticket for any Clark game, both collegiate and professional. So it has the potential to bring popularity and revenue. Bueckers won Geno Auriemma his twelfth natty, and A’ja Wilson brought a parade to Columbia, so experimenting here is the best option, too. And most of these players have intensely loyal fanbases around their alma mater and will substantially impact engagement, ticket sales, and support.

Moreover, college fans are passionate, and if these stars play in the college courts, it will draw a handsome crowd. So, Engelbert is right to see an opportunity with neutral venues. According to ESPN, the WNBA commissioner used the pre-season games to gauge expansion markets and feasibility. Her plans aren’t limited to the USA either, as she’s mapping out exhibition games in Europe, Asia, Mexico City, and the Middle East.

Cunningham’s predictions were on point about what the WNBA is trying to do, and honestly? She was pretty supportive of what was going on. But the Indiana Fever guard did have a tongue-in-cheek comment about the league and some of the fines that they’ve levied on her. Let’s find out exactly what she said!

Caitlin Clark’s teammate addresses controversy between her and the WNBA

The ongoing CBA negotiations, the consistent issues with officiating, and the Connecticut Sun sale have all led to a bunch of tension between the players and the WNBA. And if you’ve noticed, one player has drawn the ire of the league officials more than anyone, and that is Sophie Cunningham.

Regardless of fines, technicals, and suspension risks, the six-foot-one point guard has continued to speak her mind about what’s happening in the W: “Yeah, you can just tell Cathy to pay us, and then we can have a discussion.” But while talking about the neutral venue situation and Engelbert’s plans going forward, she was quite appreciative of the business acumen that the commissioner showed.

When her co-host West Wilson joked about Cunningham getting a ‘reverse fine’, the Indiana Fever star clarified something important. “I’m not a hater of the WNBA, I’m a supporter. But just some of their stuff just doesn’t make sense to me.” And it’s safe to say there’s no love lost on the league’s side either. For the last two months, Sophie Cunningham has been dealing with fines on top of fines.

She’s currently ‘three-for-three’ with the league fining her. What for? Well, it ranged from doing a TikTok lip-sync video calling out the WNBA referees to implying that Paige Bueckers has a special whistle. Honestly, it has been a very entertaining saga to look at. It’s pretty clear that Sophie Cunningham is not going to stop being honest about her feelings and interpretations of what the league is doing, and that’s very valid.

But this show of support, however conditional it may be, might be the stepping stone to the situation smoothing out eventually. It will be interesting to see how Sophie Cunningham continues to keep the league accountable and whether Cathy Engelbert and she will ever see eye-to-eye.